


Quell The Dave Toll.

by The_Ironic_Monster



Series: Bro: Keep the Dave toll in Check. [3]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Angst, Art, Blood and Injury, Brotherly Affection, Character Death, Digital Art, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Meteorstuck, Mild Blood, Mind Control, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Psychological Trauma, Swordfighting, Trauma, bro lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26242174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Ironic_Monster/pseuds/The_Ironic_Monster
Summary: After surviving the strife against Bec Noir, it does not feel like victory as a Feathered version of your brother bled out in your arms.Fuck this. you are alive. might as well get some use out of this fact.or.Bro lives longer than he's supposed to, and make it his mission to  keep the person he cares about from kicking it. (as well as trying and sucking at being a functional person.)
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Dave's Bro | Beta Dirk Strider & Dave Strider, Dave's Bro | Beta Dirk Strider & Davesprite, Dave's Bro | Beta Dirk Strider & Rose Lalonde, Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam
Series: Bro: Keep the Dave toll in Check. [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1901884
Comments: 83
Kudos: 131





	1. -> Seek a Knight.

**Author's Note:**

> Few ok! the "Bro lives for some reason" saga continues!
> 
> I suggest you read "E(liminate)Motion" and "Feathered Down and Untethered" first if you missed it!

After hearing the strings that Ensnared you to a certain puppet snap so hard you thought you felt blood pour out your ears, you also got to have a feathered version of your brother, who was nearly bisected and had an actual limb of his _amputated_ , bleed to death in your arms and well you know _Fuck this shit._

You had finished your task of starting the scratch on the Beat Mesa before that fucking Hard-shelled clown went Rabid Dog on your ass and wrecked your shit ( _killed your brother._ ) So now, your new objective is to keep the Brother Death Toll (which is a thing now) to a god damn minimum.

You know, for reasons beyond you, a few aspects and rules about The Game. Like how you know you had to scratch that giant floating record, or How you knew your brother would be associated with Time.

But now, the true implications of your brother's Aspect in this game leaves you feeling sick.

How many times has your brother _died_ by now? How many _ways_ has he died? The accumulation of the numbers these questions could have as answers sits in the pit of your stomach like swallowed lead. _(it's still too much for you.)_

_(Feeling.)_

You've been flying on your rocket board through a few gates when you spot him.

Unfortunately, seeing Another Dave, who was currently messing around with some heavy game machinery on your old apartment roof, does nothing to quell the gross anguish you felt watching the winged Dave die.

(Winged. like an **_angel._** Like it was some sick joke with a punchline that he was _going to die no matter what-)_

It actually brings the feeling back full force.

He hears you coming, the board's motor reaching his ears. He turns towards you with a flinch, but tries to relax as he shouts up at you.

"Bro!? Where have you- What the hell happened to you?? Don't tell me you actually got your ass kicked out there by some shitty ass imp-"

He might have been expecting you to land after hearing you, but he sure as hell wasn't expecting to get his smack-talk get cut short with your chest to his face, your arms trapping him.

he freezes in your embrace, but you couldn't give a flying fuck. This cathartic relief washes over you _(you can feel)_ seeing him moving. Hearing him ramble like an idiot. to be _alive and breathing and not hear a wet gurgle surround his voice._

You don't know if he is just in shock or is just humoring this sudden bout of brotherly affection, (It never happens. Let it _happen._ ) but you're grateful for it nonetheless.

His stiff form does squirm eventually, a hesitant attempt to escape your grasp. (Before this, you think you heard a faint, tinny "D'awww." coming from a speaker in his shades. but your brain dismisses it as unimportant noise.)

"Uh, Bro? what the hell is even happening? " He asks.

You can already guess he's thinking this is some sort of ironic joke just from hearing the word 'Happen' being said. Everything had to be a joke between you two. Jokes are funny. Jokes are dismissive of anything serious. if things were not played for _**Laughs**_ , then…

_(you were not allowed. you didn't, **couldn't** allow it.)_

You don't blame him if he did.

Dave takes a quick whiff of you and that drives him to push back a little harder.

"Dude, ugh no seriously bro, you are getting this sticky yellow shit all over me it's rank af, wtf even is this-" Hearing this does make you let go and step back.

you look down on yourself, arms still raised, post-hug. Even though it is bright acid yellow, the censored nature of it's hue does nothing to keep the knowledge that you are currently _**drenched in your brother's blood**_ at bay. You look up to a shadow to your left and realize some of it got on your shades as well.

The next steps you take backward are swayed with a stumble to it, much to your chagrin. It nearly drives you back into smothering your emotions to death like you had been before 'The Cut.' (It is the only way you know how to defend yourself.)

You raise your hand to your chest. You feel the small disk hidden beneath your shirt.

Your face continued to stay stoic and expressionless as you snag the cord around your neck with your fingers, pulling it forward, your words still lost and scrambled to voice what happened properly.

you see his eyes go wide for a second before his brow scrunches up behind his shades, mouth turning downwards, understanding the implication.

"Well fuck. And I thought throwing myself out the window would be the end of the Dead Dave death parade. Future me better get his shit together."

You internally balk.

You don't dare give any type of thought to what came out of his mouth just now.

Just. no. Your New Task starts right the fuck _**now.**_


	2. Bro-> Tail The Knight.

You begin _trying_ to tail Your Brother.

You keep to yourself mostly. He knows you're around. and he knows you know he knows, etc. etc.

what he doesn't know that you _do_ know though, is that you know how _un-fucking-comfortable_ you are making him.

_(You can't help that. Not just yet.)_

No matter how hard you try, you can't stick around him as much as you'd originally wanted to. You can easily keep up when he flash-steps anywhere. But there is literally no way to keep track when he straight up _Time-steps_ away.

But hey. Why the hell stop at just _Dave?_

Whenever you had no choice but to lose track of the slippery fucker, you do quick sweeps of the other planets for his friends until you find some version of him to keep an eye out for. You believe His friends never notice you. which is for the best, you figure.

(You try to avoid the oily planet as much as possible. You see the Nerdy one in a village and decide he’s fine for now.)

You do find Dave eventually as you travel around. Christ do you find him _a lot._

Dave is disregarding his own words for his future self to 'Get his shit together' as you see a good few of him running around. You eventually settle to keep one prowling around on the frozen planet with the _"Cheery one"._

Dave is _not_ making your New Task easy.

You never properly learn His friends' names. (Should you?) You only know there are 3, and they type in different colors. a few glances during his chats helps deduct who is who.

The Cheery one types in Acid Green.

The Wordy one types in Lavender.

The Nerdy one types in Basic Blue.

While thinking on this, This Dave time travels away yet again.

You've come to notice that there are more people these kids are talking to. A brief glance from behind Dave's shades or a projection from a lunchtop showed glimpses of Gray, Brown, and Teal texts.

You have no pre-knowledge of more players. Who the hell are these guys? are they even trust worthy?

You have heard Dave speak here and there via text to speech, clearly talking about plans and steps to take. Besides one Dave you found waking up on a pile of sharp objects, so far, nothing has gone too wrong.

But then you find a Dave decked out in green felt, his neck pouring out blood, head surrounded by a puddle of _Red._

You Flash-dip out of there _immediately._ You cannot do anything for him. You can tell by the size of the pool he's laying in. _Not this time._

(You morbidly miss sending yourself; your _feelings_ , to the lowest pit of your mind.)

You try to find another Dave in your panic and head back to the frozen planet once more.

The Snow is melting away now, and there is No Dave in sight. You know the Cheery one is still here. so you at least will have something to look out for, Dave or not.

You hide in the dense forest first to try and compose your mind (and your stomach.) it's really fucking unfortunate how shit like this is beginning to easily get _seared_ into your brain, a too clear after-image still singed at its edges, burned underneath your eyelids.

you claw at your chest in a sort of delusion that you could peel the feelings there away. All you do is scratch yellow flakes of blood off your shirt. In your haste to keep an eye on all the damn kids, you hadn’t bothered changing.

Your apartment still exists. Your stuff is still there, But You... _don’t want to_. This blood. So unreal, a censored game construct... but it _was_ real, and if you were to just change out of it, it would almost be like-

If anyone were to look at you right now, they would never be the wiser that you were fighting with yourself to change out of a bloody fucking shirt. Face refusing to stop imitating carved stone.

you barely started on Your Task and it's already becoming too much, somehow.

(You are too unused to feeling. Feelings distract from what is _**Necessary,**_ now. Feelings would make you Lose _**Control-**_ )

** (Do Not Feel. Do not Feel. Do Not Feel. Do Not Feel. Do not Feel. Do Not Feel-) **

Fuck-

You… Notice something you hadn't as you force-stop this destructive train of thought. (train of **_input._** ) It wasn't standing out at first, being drowned out by all these new onslaught of sensations that had been overwhelming you since you were 'Let go.'

...

_But you haven't been let go completely, have you?_

You feel it there. (almost **see** it, somehow-) a rusted, nail rammed and twisted in the back of your _"heart",_ a final withered tether secured in place, burrowing out through your Spine and pulled taught into some unseen void.

You exhale all the air of your lungs forcefully in frustration.You start clawing **_Harder_ .**

_Nothing's ever so simple, is it?_

your clawing eventually causes the sprite pendant to catch under your fingernail, fabric and blood wedged in between.

you whip it off you and stare at it.

You feel... _lost_ for a second, your eyes tracing the dried yellow blood within the engraved spirograph on the pendant when suddenly, the thing starts _glowing._

you quickly hold it up in front of you and the light pouring out of it begins to take shape.

But what you hope to see _(a wing, a human form-)_ isn't what you get.

Instead, A sword with a gold, ornate cross-guard plops into half-melted snow, a small piece of paper tied to the hilt. you slowly reach for the note.

it reads: _**"If lost, return to The Knight."**_ ** ******

You remember when The feathered Dave pressed the pendent to your chest as he held your shirt, making him hold it there.

This sword must be for Dave. _Any_ Dave.Considering that Feathered Dave was a turned-guide for this game, the sword must be **_critically important_ **if he decided to force it on you in his final moments-

You dig the Sword out of the slush, reattaching the note to toss it in your sylladex. You finally head out of the denser part of the forest and walk a little bit towards the volcano, and what you are greeted with is a few Dave's doing a stable time-step attack, the Cheery one wielding some type of gun, And the _Fucking winged **Dog Mother Fucker-**_

Your Katana is already in your hand.

Then you watch Dave just use his friend like a _Dog Damned shield._

The dog Demon does not fight back when he does this.

_....What the fuck?_

Your incredulous flinch lasts for only a second before joining the fray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy-


	3. Bro-> Be Garbage At Your Task.

The first mistake was deciding to fall back whenever the Ch-Jade? (you heard Dave call her this to grab her attention a few times) starts pumping the actual son of a bitch full of lead.

The second mistake was Dave continuing to use Jade as a meat shield.

So, you fall back, only to watch a tear in fucking  _ space _ rip open in front of Dave in the shape of the demon-dog's silhouette, redirecting Jade's onslaught of bullets into Dave's torso.

Time goes in slow motion for you as you watch in silent horror, and you know it isn't Dave causing the sensation as he crumples.

You're fast enough that his head doesn't hit the ground, earning yourself a splash of red to your polo's collection to go along with the yellow.

Jade whirls around a little too late, A horrified gasp ripping out her throat when her eyes land on Dave in your arms. 

(You look down at him and see through his shades and immediately wish you  _ hadn't. _ )

Jade's gasp startles the dog to a halt and the thing fucking  _ whimpers, _ like he was caught ripping up the couch upholstery rather than killing your brother  _ again _ . With his ears flattened against his skull, he flies off to hide.

You tear your gaze away from blown pupils to gently place Dave down, getting up in one fluid movement.

"Mr. Bro, wait!"

Jade manages to catch the hem of your polo mid-flash step, stopping you from following the demon.

_ (....'Mr. Bro?') _

You turn slightly to look down at her face, her expression a mixture of panic and exhaustion.

"Please don't go. it's not worth it!" She looks from side to side, as if looking for an excuse to not let go of you and keep you there. 

(she probably guessed what you were on your way to do.)

"I… I know this sounds crazy but Um… Dave!" She goes over to him without taking her eyes off you, her arms up, palms down in a sort of placating gesture.

You stay and watch her cradle him in her arms, her face twisting in an attempt to not look so strained.

"We just gotta… It sounds crazy but I have to kiss him and He'll be okay, I swear! We have friends out here who have been helping us out! they told me players can bring other players back this way, so don't worry!" She schools her face into a more determined look, then steels herself as she slowly lowers her mouth towards Dave's, who's leaking blood from the corner of his lips.

She plants a firm kiss, and quickly draws back.

you wait a few seconds as she does a quick swipe of her hand to the corner of her mouth to get the blood off. (She only manages to smudge it instead.)

.But nothing happens.

She sees you shift and she calls to you again.

"Oh- no, I'm sorry! Dave is okay now, I swear! but you… you won't be seeing him for a long while. I'm Sorry." She legit seems to be devastated for  _ you _ , as if the fact she just shot her friend to death and is now cradling his lifeless body  _ wasn't  _ the worst thing to happen to her today. These  _ kids... _

Seriously, _ Fuck this game. _

What she just said finally registers.

"A long while." you echo. She gives you the saddest puppy dog eyes.  _ Why is she even acting this way towards you- _

"I saw you give him such a sweet hug earlier with these neat goggles I alchemized." she regards Dave on her lap as she refers to him, "I know how much you care about Dave." 

… ah. now you understand. That tinny voice from back then...

She's right of course.You do care. Feeling it  _ more _ now that you're  _ allowed _ to feel it. But If she knew more about you, she wouldn't be giving you all this undeserved sympathy. About who you were, what you've  _ done _ , what you've  **_been-_ ** Stop.

With a quick word, the gilded sword falls into your grasp, blade pointed downward. Jade tilts her head in question, eyes on the sword.

"Dave. He-" fuck your voice, seriously- "He needs this." Jade squints hard at the sword for a good few more seconds. Her mouth morphs into an "O" shape, eyebrows disappearing under her bangs.

Pointing at it dramatically, she yells, "I've seen that sword!" She places her index finger to her forehead, nose scrunching up in concentration.

"You were walking around on Skaia with it and- ah!" she quickly covers her mouth after she says this.

"Oh crap, i hope i didn't change something important saying that out loud. But maybe you need to go do that now anyway? walk around with it there? It might be our best bet!"

You luckily know a little about the clouds of Skaia, so this doesn't come as too much of a surprise. (This girl also willingly kissed her friend's corpse to apparently  _ "revive him somewhere else" _ after fighting a magical winged dog demon. Who the hell are you to doubt anything anymore? speaking of-) You turn your head towards the direction the demon dog flew to.

"Don't try to fight Bec anymore, Mr. Bro." Jade says when she notices. You turn back.

"I know He's done horrible things and you want revenge and so would I, but… he's too strong and has crazy powers and it's just not a good idea!" She gives you a look that says that you'd better not argue. (you still debate going after him anyway.) She sighs tiredly and looks at you with as much reassurance as she could muster with a hint of begging baked right in. 

"I'll try to keep him here with me. He used to be my dog, Bec. so he won't hurt me, I swear! You saw how he was when we were fighting! I'll be ok, I promise!" She gently lowers Dave down onto grass, (snow completely gone now,) and goes up to you. She boldly pats your arm gently and smiles at you, the determined look back on her face. (Her constant attempts to reassure you that she'll be fine on her own tells you that she  _ knew _ that you have been keeping an eye on her. Dave must have-)

"you should go now, Mr. 'Bro!'." She says, nudging your arm a bit more, "I'll call Bec over after you're gone, so i can keep him here distracted! good luck!" 

You subtly bite the inside of your lip as you glance at your brother's body and then back at her. A resigned sigh escapes through your nose. Might as well, then, huh.

You grab your board from your sylladex and are off once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember How Bec made Jade gun down OG Dave?
> 
> I don't usually see people mention it much.
> 
> it never stopped being a _Thing_ or anything. 
> 
> Oh boy. next chapter already double the size of this one. Can't believe my word-counting eyes-


	4. Rapid Rotations.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _(I know what i did shoosh-)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _***"Savior of the Dreaming dead' intensifies*** _

You get To Skaia without a hitch.

You land on a random checkered hilltop and look around. Jade had said the sword was in your hands when she saw you, so you keep it by your side.

You wander for hours on this eye-tripping terrain, taking note of small craters scattered haphazardly across the land, Meteors _Cascading_ down in the distance in aimless intervals. You feel like you're on a wild goose chase here, a tall dude lumbering around with a hulking sword in his hand, Fucked up thoughts as his only company. One positive thought that crosses your mind, at least, is that dealing with your own meteor back home helped a Dave live, even if it was just to live that much longer-

You hate this.

You hate how many Dead Dave's you've come across, (That you Held.) Like there is nothing you can do no matter how many times you try. One too many. Fated to die. You hate how you are struggling internally being your own driver, Your body clumsy, hands filled with hundreds of shortened frayed Strings you never had to pull, now in your hands. Your thoughts, your limbs, your voice;  _ muffled, strained, stilted,  _ in that order. Yet, the stoic bastard within you stays plastered on your face, Wooden, back ramrod straight, actions stiffly composed.

You cannot show it. Your mind refuses. you know why. you know what that last cord attached to you is trying to do. still trying to do. What your method of choice against it is. 

**_(Do not feel.)_ **

It's pointless not to admit it to yourself, like a child would deny being afraid of the dark. It's all too clear for you. Even if you haven't let yourself feel anything for more than half your life. you know what that last string is making you feel.

Quiet, festering  _ Fear _ . Not full blown terrified, no. this was a constant drip of dread in the background threatening to pool over, filling the cracks of your soul like boiling hot tar.

You remember how you were before. you remember how you were with Dave back home. How you turned your back on the feathered Dave.

Just thinking about letting yourself  **_Be_ ** fills you with this dread.

Keep it at bay.

**_(Do not feel.)_ **

You resist the urge to claw at your chest.

_(You fail.)_ if you wanted, you'd go for your back instead, but fuck that. This developing habit is stupid enough as it is without contorting your body like a pretzel.

  
  


You continue to stew in your thoughts, but are interrupted out of them when you, quite suddenly, Feel grief.

It's not yours, you note. It's coming from somewhere near you. you try to pick up your dragging pace. (you didn't notice you were 'dragging' at all.)

Eventually, After leaving Jade alone a couple of hours ago, you come across…

Another Jade. A green Jade with Dog ears, and clearly a player's guide like the feathered Dave was. 

This jade was sitting with her back towards you on a small mound, sobbing quietly into her hands, shoulders bobbing, her ghostly tail coiled beneath her.

You approach her and she snaps her head up and around upon hearing your footsteps, looking fearful.

"Who.. who are you?" her tearful eyes drift up to your face and her eyes widened in recognition.

"Those sunglasses. are you… Dave's bro?" you nod in confirmation. she studies you wearily, a contrast to the other Jade's constant reassurance. You much prefer this instead. it feels much more natural towards your person.

_ Weary _ .

She sniffles again and fully turns towards you, arms curled towards her chest in a defensive posture.

"why are you here? did you hurt somebody?" She asks while eyeing your shirt covered in yellow and now red.

Not  _ 'are you hurt,' _ But  _ 'Did you hurt somebody.' _ Interesting.

You shake your head once and  _ Then _ she asks if you're hurt. Still the Cheery one within, it seems.

instead of answering, you present the Sword to her.

"'Nother Jade." Swallow. " Saw me here with this." instead of commenting on why you suck at words, her eyes well up with more tears instead. Alright,  _ what- _

"Even  _ you _ are helping out here more than me." she whimpers out, wiping at her newly shed tears. There it was again. 

_ 'Even you.' _ This Jade must know more about you than the other one did, that's for damn sure. 

Inhale. exhale. Inhale- "Dunno how." you tilt your chin towards the sword in your hand. "Th' Sword's Dave's." And it's true. you ain't done shit and you've failed your  Task spectacularly mutiple times, along with having no idea how to get the stupid sword to Dave at all. This has been way too long a  _ day _ . (hasn’t even been 24 hours yet. But it feels like you’ve slogged thought a week-)

"Any idea?" You ask her. might as well ask, since she seems to want to help and is… her job now? Don't want to push the sobbing girl with familiar pointed ears though. 

She scrubs her hands together a bit as she stares at the sword nervously.

"I… I think I can do that. Being Bec too, now. I can see everything and- Um." She lifts her hand up and you feel the sword go weightless in your grasp, so you let it go. it stays suspended the same way it was summoned, and with a flicker of green, it's gone. Jade withdraws her hand back to her face to wipe stray streaks of acid green still clinging to her cheek.

"It should be with him now. I still don't understand these powers but... It should be there. with Dave." You nod.

"You Helped." You decide to say. This catches her by surprise for a moment, and the smallest of droopy eyed smiles appears on her face, some of the grief you felt roll off her.

"Y-yeah." She still seems unsure of you, but you seem to have managed to change her tone a bit. You take your rocket board out, indicating a departure, but you stare to catch her attention. You raise an eyebrow, hoping she understands you without having to ask. She does.

"I'll be ok." she says with a now familiar face of reassurance. and after a quick nod you're off to find the other Jade again. You may have left her with… Bec? and trusted her. but your trust for the mutt currently  _ doesn't exist. _

As you fly through the gates, you do briefly pass through Dave's planet. Instead of a Dave, (You weren't looking or anything-) you find the Nerdy one in blue duds flying around instead, continuing the scratch you started across the entire mesa while fighting a hoard of foes like the most dangerous game of whack-a-mole. Funny how this windsock was the one kid you had to worry about the least.

(You have yet to come across the Wordy One at all, you note. You take that as a good sign. After all,  _ the living don't tend to stay in one place. _ )

Back at the now soggy wetland of a planet, you see no Jade in sight. (Your gaze crosses a mound by a tree and you make a point not to dwell on it. (You, instead, quietly appreciate it.) But nothing else. Your eyes roam from the volcano to the ridiculously tall white structure, tracing its repeating length up and see a cloud of black smoke billowing at the very top.

  
  


You almost ready your board to fly up there, but a winged shadow flying off stops you, something wrapped within tendrils it did not have before. You squint and do _ not _ like the limp, fluttering form of whatever it is it's carrying.

After he gains a bit of distance, you follow suit, and in no time at all, a tall spire begins to rise in the distance.

You watch as the Mutt heads to the very top of it, but you decide to stay halfway on the spire's walkway, tucking yourself into a shadow and wait, subconsciously heeding Jade's last request for you:

_ "Don't try to fight Bec anymore, Mr. Bro." _

Luckily, you don't have to wait long as the shadow flies off the spire and disappears with a flicker of green. you pause for a few more seconds before you pull your reins tightly to get yourself to the top of the spire as fast as your board could take you.

Your fears of what you'd find are now reality.

Jade lays on a black ornate slab covered in grisly burns and cuts you can only assume came from shrapnel of whatever the hell exploded in her face. her dress and hair was torn and singed; you don't know how she managed to stay recognizable.

You place a knee on the slab to lean over her. You know it's pointless, but you check her pulse anyway.

Nothing.

Your eyes drift to her lips. But you know that's pointless too.

_ "If a player kisses a player fast enough." _

You don't know the time frame of  _ "fast enough _ ", nor are you a  _ player _ . The only thing you do is close your eyes in a moment of silence for her (and for a mound by a tree), restrain from pointlessly roundhousing one of the pillars of the slab in frustration, ( _ Don’t lose  _ **_control-_ ** ) and reluctantly make your way back to Skaia.

You at least know there's one Jade still alone there, and a mad dog on the loose prevents you from staying still.

You don't take any notice of the swarm of Pink humming birds flying about as you fly through a gate out of there.

You get back to Skaia,

and in nearly no time at all, it has become an apocalyptic  _ Hellscape. _

The meteors pummeling the planet's surface have gotten much larger now, the interval of the strikes becoming shorter by the minute **_._ **

You don't bother hopping off your board because you aren't stupid, scanning the ground from above for a green glow. eventually, you find her frantically looking about, He hands uselessly trying to protect her head. you make yourself known with the loudest "Hey" your throat could muster, the impacts of the meteors now too frequent and deafening for the hum of your board's engine to reach her.

She looks up in surprise mixed with a hint of relief, most likely just glad she wasn't alone. You swiftly land next to her and look her over, and fortunately nothing is amiss besides the destruction surrounding the both of you.

"What's happening, Mr. Strider?? the meteors started raining like crazy when you left!" You shake your head, unsure.

You notice Jade look up to the left, her face dropping back to fear, dog ears slamming back quickly against her head. You mimic her movements only to be faced with a rock that was clearly  _ twice _ as large as the one that hit your neighborhood back on earth.

Now that you were here..  _ What? _ you already know your Board has barely any fuel left to do anything about it ( _ Not that you think you could repeat the stunt of chopping this fucking thing into  _ _pieces_ ), and you just stranded yourself with a kid because you felt you needed to check on anyone that was still  _ alive _ ..  _ You're _ still alive,  _ But did you make any use of that fact?  _ any at _ all?  _

You roughly rip your hat off in frustration to rake your fingers through your hair.  _ (Do not go for your chest-) _

"Mr. Strider." you hear Jade whimper, the air of it morphing into the whistle of a distressed Puppy. you turn to her crestfallen face and….

"...Sorry" Is what you say as you take your hand out of your hair. 

She looks at you, her face scrunching up. 

"It's…" she starts, but suddenly she starts glowing, and, from the way she was looking down at herself, it wasn't something she was doing by choice. Even with your shades, the blinding flashes of light coming off her was too much and you had to screw your eyes up and turn away, rays still bleeding through your eyelids as if you were facing the sun, but it only lasts a few more seconds before it fades. You take a chance to look up and before you is Jade with legs again, sporting a black hooded dress with red shoes. Her face Flickers in a way like she forgot you were there and then she smiles that determined smile that-

"Mr. Bro! Everything will be okay, I promise!" your stoic expression cracks a bit as your eyes widened a fraction.

_ 'Mr. Bro.' _ Was this now the Jade that- 

You don't get to finish your thought processes properly as Jade appears to shrink the meteor that was hurtling towards the both of you with a wave of a hand down to the size of a baseball like it was as natural for her to do as breathing. With one more wave of fingers, you watch a golden ship rise in the distance surrounded in the familiar green aura.

But, just as abruptly, she, along with the ship, vanished with a flicker. 

and you are just.. Left there in a daze, dumbstruck on what the ever loving  _ fuck _ was going on-

And now your disorientation threatens to boil over as you watch Jade's  _ face _ overtake the entirety of Skaia’s horizon.

You don’t know how long you stood there, but you know it wasn’t for too long when, without any warning but  _ another _ flash of green, you are suddenly stumbling upon a golden surface surrounded by a crowd of all the planets' creatures and then some. 

You're… so fucking disoriented it's not even funny. You don't move from your spot but you let your eyes wander. Just. so many fucking lizards. Few of those black and white creatures milling around too and… is that a cat spirit guide? 

Just… What the hell happened. where  _ are _ you. How are you even here and why-

A familiar voice finally manages to pierce the haze within your mind, and you make yourself turn around-

and see familiar faces:  _ The Windsock and Jade. _

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaat nooo! I _Totally_ didn't just write Bro taking his stupid _Stupid_ hat off so i can draw his hair.   
> It's lies and slander _you got nothing on me-_


	5. Bro->Stowaway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Nope-_

"See, John? I won't be alone at all here! If you really want to be with the others- Oh!" These are the words you hear out of Jade before she notices and waves at you mid-sentence. windso-  _ John _ turns to look as well.

"Oh shit that's- is that Dave's _Bro??_ I... didn't know he was st- around!" He tries to hide it, but you hear it in his voice: _surprised with a hint of Disappointment_. (You have no reason to take it personally. You feel you already know _why,_ considering you are the only one to _appear_.)

"Hey, Mr.Bro!” John's downcast demeanor fades a bit as he snickers in his hand hearing the nickname. Jade flails her hand at his face to make him stop before continuing, “You can go along with John if you want, too! Come take a look!" She waves you over and, as you get closer, she begins to distort into a projection where you see....

a bunch of other kids. gray kids with horns and yellowed eyes.You also see the Wordy one after all this time, and by her side was....

_ Dave _ . He was  _ alive _ again. and sporting an interesting red outfit. But  _ alive- _

"C'mon, Jade! I already said I'm not gonna leave my new sister alone with a bunch of lizards to talk to for 3 whole years!" John said in exasperation, bringing you back to reality. Jade just 'aww's at his response before turning to you.

"Well, Mr. Bro? all you gotta do is jump right at me and Poof! you'll be over there with Dave in no time at all!" She says proudly, her arms at her hips as she fades back in a bit from her projection.

You stand there, frozen in place as your mind does some gymnastics with the choices that's been handed to you.

You  **want** to go there. You do. You want to see him  _ alive _ with your own eyes. But would That even be a  _ good idea? Would Dave even want to see you let alone want you there at all? _

_ 'You can't help that. Not just yet"  _ You had said to yourself once. but now-

John's words establish the fact this is a one way ticket. no coming back.  _ For 3 years. _

Your brother will finally be  **_free_ ** of you-

"Nah." is what comes out of your mouth as you strangle yourself into silence of what you actually  **want** . 

Freer than you've ever been, and yet here you are, still fighting against yourself, the action an ingrained instinct. What you want still doesn't apply now, not even after you were so severely severed from-

**_(Do not Feel-)_ **

After re-securing the hat in your hand back on your head, you maneuver away from the kids and the crowd and the  _ noise _ to lean heavily against the boat's entrance, sliding to the ground, ignoring Jade as she lets out a "But" in protest of your answer. Luckily, John takes her attention away from you as he pesters her about sending something over before it's "too late". Your unspooled mind is still tangled from all the shit that just happened, plus, your feelings being jerked around with constant death and revival of these fucking kids- you just want to submerge yourself within your mind's abyss for a few  _ decades _ , but you only get a moment of peace before it's quickly shattered again by yet another (bright cyan this time) ghostly tail slithering into your vision. 

Looks like your meetings with all the spirit game guides ain't over just yet.

"How are you, dear?"are the first words she says to you, "It has been quite the day, hasn't it?"

You look up at her from the top of your shades and meet the eyes of a scarred old woman, smiling brightly at you and yea, it's not like you didn't see her once or twice floating around at all, mostly on the oily planet you avoided, a passing wave as you flew by. (a nod in response.) Her eyes drift away from you and towards the kids who were bickering over a poster. You see her shake her head fondly at them then turn back to you with a knowing smile and a faded eye roll, like you were in on a joke she knows but you don't remember what it was, leaving you out of the loop. You notice her examining you. Then she gestures you toward her.

"Come, now. Come up here and let me take a good look at you, would you, dear?" She requests, and damn, for an unexplainable reason you find that there is no way you can just politely refuse her, even if getting up feels like you're pulling up a puppet made of solid lead rather than hollow porcelain.

Her smile takes a look of pity as she watches you, and suddenly a disembodied arm is patting you on the arm ever so gently.

"Oh my. you've been through a lot today, haven't you dear? Still being pulled through that wringer, I bet." You don't know how to answer that. or how she knows anything to say that to you, undecided if it's because old grannies like her know shit just by lookin' at you or because guides just know shit in general. She keeps her hand on your arm as she stares  _ Beyond you _ for a second.

She takes her hand back and pointedly turns away from you to the kids again. 

"Why did you come all the way to the other side of the boat just now, Mr. Strider." Said like a statement, not a question. 

"I-" Is all you get out before she continues. 

"I Hope you're not thinking of staying here, you silly man." 

Before you try speaking again,Her disembodied hand is suddenly at your face and she boldly pinches and pulls your cheek.  _ hard. _

"Because this old woman will not be having such a thing!" she states before letting you go.

Your hand goes to your now sore face, your stoic expression effectively cracked enough to look at least a little scandalized for a second, the fact hitting you that  _ that _ really just happened to your 30-something year old ass. 

"I-" you try one again but apparently,  _ Nope- _

"Ah ah ah! " she wags her finger at you. "Sorry to tell you, Dear. But your Task isn't quite over yet!" She crosses her floating arm to her chest, looking down on you Smugly despite you being a head taller than her,knowing  _ exactly _ what she did just now.  _ Cheeky old Hag _ -

"I cannot very well let you stay here when one adult is enough to keep an eye on two children. You  _ must _ go to the other side. A gaggle of teens without adult supervision is just asking for trouble, I'm sure!" "She takes a quick glance to your shirt, and her face softens as she ends with "as well as other reasons why I cannot let you stay here."

'Let you' She says, as if she could stop you from being a stowaway on this damn-  _ Shit _ . 

The Guardian within you is agreeing with all the bull she's spouting, even though you know you're the worst choice to be any kind of "Guardian." Teens are unstable, She ain't wrong. But the problem is,  _ so are you. _

Your fingers curl into fists to dig your nails in your palm, not as effective as you'd like with your thick gloves dulling the pain as you turn to Jade and John again.

"Dave, He-" 

The disembodied hand is back on your arm.

"Don't give the unknown answers only you believe are the correct ones. You'll do fine." You almost let out a snort at the intentional wording there.

Not  **_'Be'_ ** Fine. ' _ Do' _ fine.

Nothing is  _ fine,  _ your brain tells you as you break off the imagined ice that had frozen you to the spot as you walk forward, The woman's hand not leaving your arm the whole way.

Lady's a little too nice to you. It disturbs you. and  _ yet… _

As you get closer, John is on his knees scrawling on the back of a poster as Jade taps her foot nervously looming over him.

"Alright, Jade Dear. I brought one more package to send off through you! hoohoohoo!" Jade looks up and smiles when her eyes land on you.

"Mr.Bro! You changed your mind? I'm so glad!" Her smile falters for a second after that. She comes up to you, face touched with hesitation. One you recall seeing  _ and _ feeling. A faded weariness from the  _ other-  _ one of Jade's dog ears twitch.

  
  


_ Ah.  _ This Dog-eared Jade… she  _ knew things  _ about you. Your arm seems to be attracting a lot of attention as her hand lands on the same spot as the disembodied one was.

"You… I do know things, you know." She says in a low voice, as if she had read your thoughts just now.

"A lot of things. memories from the other Jade. She talked a lot to Her friends. To Dave. A  _ lot _ of Daves..." She looks down a second and her brow creases in thought.

"But  _ I _ remember  _ today _ . You, back at LOFAF and on the battlefield. That hug..." she smiles up at you, the reassurance she naturally radiates back on there.

"You'll be okay. You... you're  _ different  _ from what I Know. you're like-" She suddenly takes her hand off and gasps in a panic, breaking you from the odd trance she put you in as she spoke to you. 

which was getting a little too much for you if you're being fucking frank. The kid should  _ not _ be the one reassuring the adult  _ what the fuck- _ (it only solidifies what a shit guardian you really are.)

"Crap we are running out of time!  _ Nothing _ will be able to pass through me soon! hurry up, John!" she turns her panic towards you.

"Uuuuuh!" She takes a frantic look at you and with an erratic wave of her hand, a few articles of your clothing, a first aid kit, and a few hats flicker into view and land in a heap to your left.

"Sorry! I mean it when I said we have to hurry!" you pay no mind to the apology and just toss the pile in your sylladex. John finally gets off the floor.

"Alright alright I'm done!" He snickers a bit as he looks over what's there. "Even Nanna wrote a little something here too! hehehe..." John comes over to you and hands over the folded poster. When you take it, John reaches up to slug you on the shoulder, smile getting broad enough to shut his eyes when you raise an eyebrow at him.

"Give one of those to Dave, will you? Tell him it's from me!" Before you could even think of a response, Jade yells out a "Hurry!!!" and well. You guess this is it.  _ Fuck. _

You turn to the old spirited woman to nod goodbye, John waves at you enthusiastically, and Jade stands and waits, giving you one last reassuring smile as she fades to green.

you clutch the folded poster in your grasp, inhale, exhale-

You leap through and….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy, What a way to end that, huh? (I swear there is a good reason for it haha.)
> 
> Come see all the drawings in this fic at my Tumblr (The-ironic-monster) or instagram (The_ironic_monster)
> 
> I tend to post close up Wips of upcoming stuff on tumblr so... good indication when ill post... usually. xD
> 
> Edit:... hmm... seems i dunno how to link things properly...


	6. Bro->Shutter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _*God was doing three such a bad idea-*_

**__ **

...You crash right into the one gray kid with the short, rounded horns,  _ (Lucky you that you didn’t just gore yourself on a child-) _ tackling him to the floor. 

you manage to  _ not _ just crush the kid with your body as you wrap your arm behind his head as a barrier before you both hit the ground.

**__ **

The kid begins cursing his lungs out and squirming out from your hold, but to you, it sounds and feels like it's all  _ miles _ away. 

The sound of screeching, grinding metal is currently drilling into your eardrums to hear anything else, And you felt it begin when you were half way through the portal: the last tether in your soul pulling harder over the nail holding it in place, grinding and constricting it even tighter within you, and at the speed (or, more accurately,  _ how sudden) _ the teleportation was to get you here-

The sensations translate outward with excruciating pain in your ears and chest, your breathing is uneven. the hands covering your ears begin to squeeze tighter on your head  _ (when did you put your hands there in the first place?) _ You silently try to control your gag reflex while simultaneously trying to compose your breathing. 

you still hear muffled voices beyond the screeching. You manage to pick out a few words. a few voices.

"Your Lusus!"

"Is he alright?"

"What the fuck!"

"Bro...?"

your brain zones into that last one, wanting to concentrate on anything but this horrific pain  _ Fuck this hurts- _

You reluctantly peel your hands off your ears to remove yourself from the floor, an eyelid cracking open only a sliver to search for red and white blond. it doesn't take long to spot him and you make your way over, a feat in and of itself, since your ears have rendered your balance to complete  _ shit. _

Out of all the things you could say or do when you reach him, Your muffled brain decides to gently tap your fist on his shoulder, struggle to look him in the eye best you can, and say " 'T's from John." 

His expression reads confusion but morphs to shock when you feel something running from your upper lip and down your chin.  _ well hell. _

You back off and cover your nose with a gloved hand,  _ fuck _ you think as a hand covers an ear as well, feeling something filling in there too. (You guess all that drilling  _ wasn't _ all just in your head) You decide to drop to one knee and lean forward, uselessly trying to control the blood currently gushing out of you.

"Dave, your Adult human Lusus is leaking over here." you hear a girl's voice say as you're suddenly prodded by a pole of some sort. you wave it away with the hand covering your ear, hoping that there wasn't anything wrong there in the first place.

"Yeah i fucking noticed, thanks. I literally have no idea what to do or what the hell is going on right now." You hear Dave's monotone voice say. (Y _ ou feel frozen panic in those words, however. _ )

"Well try to do something, you heartless bastard! He's  _ your _ lusus, isn't he?" Daves panic changes to anger instantly, but it continues to not reflect in his voice.

"That word means dicksquat to me, dude." Dave states matter-of-factly. The other voice, which you identified as the poor fucker you landed on,  _ growls _ , actually  _ growls _ , in frustration. 

"This guy is clearly in need of some fucking medical assistance, asshole! He just used my body as a wheelstop and He's the one cringing on the floor when  _ I'm _ the one who should've been in danger of potential pan damage just now! The guy's currently on his way to drown in blood and you've barely moved from that spot of yours!" he pauses, you assume after taking a glance at you, because he finishes with "And now he's gushing that disturbing colored blood like a fountain out of his hear ducts!"

_ "What?"  _ Dave blurted incredulously, a swish of cloth indicating he's looking back at you now too. you feel fear and frustration get closer-

"Bro seriously, what the  _ fuck? _ You Just barreled over here from who-the-fuck-knows-where and now you're suddenly spurting blood like someone curb-stomped a ketchup bottle! I-" ' _ I've never seen you like this'  _ You don't hear him say. Can't hold any of this against him since, really, all of this is pretty fuckin new to you too. You hear someone slap their hand against what you presume was the poster.

"Even John's Nannasprite here is telling you to watch your brother! aren't humans all about ' _ minding their elders'?  _ Ha! and Humans called  _ us _ the barbarians-" 

Well. now you know why John was snickering before you left. You'd be mad at the squawking little runt if you didn't feel the fear for you dripping from every word he yelled into the green surrounding this place... Or maybe it's just unpleasant watching someone bleed profusely. who's to say.

"Karkat, I think that is enough." one voice says gently.

"Yes Karkat, None of that is helping the situation in the slightest. Dave." a smoother voice adds.

you try to look up, but… everything is starting to tilt and sway.

_...How much blood are you losing right now?  _ It's dawning on you that trying to stop the flow could  _ actually _ drown you like the loud one had described _. _

A blur of orange makes its way to stand before you, blocking away Dave's red, and your vision gets a brighter blast of the color as a thin hand removes your shades, (you hear Dave squawk in surprise.) Lavender eyes look into yours for a second before the blinding bright green forces them closed.

"Is this a normal occurrence for you, Mr. Strider?" the orange blur asks. 

"How in fuck is this a remotely 'normal' thing to be 'occurring'? On what fucking planet, Rose? look at him!" Dave  _ kindly _ answers for you, Monotone cracking away with each word.

You decided to look down at yourself now and see that all the yellow on your polo was on its way to obscurity beneath your red. You want to roll your eyes with disdain at it all but can't quite manage it without potentially making yourself vomit.

_ Sending yourself here is going to traumatize these kids before you even have a chance to do anything else.  _ **_if_ ** _ you have a chance to do anything else. you might just straight up die from the amount of blood pointlessly draining out of you _ .

You feel yourself pitch forward after these thoughts and regrets cross your mind, black spots begin to blot out your vision. 

"Dave!" Orange- _ Rose _ lets out in a panic, and you feel arms catch you before you bust your face against the concrete floor.

****

"Bro I swear to fuck if you die because of a goddamn nosebleed-" you hear Red- _ Dave _ hiss close to your ear as he tries to hold you up tighter, your forehead against the crook of his arm. at least you think it is. you aren't sure anymore.

You try to find your voice and mutter out a weak "M' bad" not really realizing how bad that response sounds before your body finally gives you the mercy by beginning to slowly black out.

Emphasis on  _ slowly _ , Because you're still vaguely  _ feeling _ . it's all just dulled and muted. you hear footsteps and haste discussions around you. (or perhaps you're just  _ feeling _ that as well?) at least the drilling in your skull was also toning down.

at one point you feel weightless, your skin tingling as you drift to who knows where. you think you're dreaming, but you can't tell.  _ (you’ve never dreamed.) You feel you should be freaking the fuck out that you are currently at the mercy of anything and anyone. but you can't manage to get to that level of emotion right now. _

_ The muffled voices continue around you, including Dave's. _

_ Dave. You still feel the cold, frozen panic that you know is his. It's sharp and piercing through your haze and it especially stings to  _ **_feel_ ** _. _

_ You just can't stop fucking with him, can you? _

Finally, you fall into the familiarity of  **_feeling nothing_ ** **.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Look at me, Making that Portal Jade-shaped and Subtly making Rose look more like Bro Than Mom. >:3c_
> 
> _Hey man, let me enjoy the head-canon that Rose looks more like bro and Dave looks more like mom,Okay!?_
> 
> _I would say that I'll be sure to only add 2 images a chapter from now on but...._
> 
> _  
> _The next one is gonna have... way too many send help-_  
> _


	7. Bro-> Recalibrate.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Too much static.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hahaha, remember when i said i wouldn't do more than 2 drawings?_
> 
> Well-

[[[[[[[ _Everything is dark._

_you feel yourself suspended somehow, immobile, trapped within a sort of stasis._

_but then, you're not. you are on your feet._

_Why are you standing here? why can't you-_

You aren't sure why you feel this unreasonable spike of panic trying to claw its way out of your chest, but you try to keep yourself collected the best you can. You realize your eyes are closed, ( _but why?_ ) and you quickly blink them open and… 

You find yourself back on the Oil planet. You... can't remember why you are here, let alone how you got here. _Were you always here_? What-

Before you can try to properly assess your current situation, the moment you make an attempt to move, you're distracted by a peculiar sound; the clicks and whirs a winding toy makes when you turn it's key. You try to figure out where it's coming from and realize at the last second it's coming from _you,_ and too soon you are forced into a mechanical march along an endless walkway deep in a canyon you don't recall ever being in against your will. There are two vast rivers of oil on both sides of you, preventing you from doing anything but.

You feel like you're forced to walk for _days_ ; The cliffs surrounding you meld into a kaleidoscopic blur of purples, grays, and glowing streaks of cyan in your peripherals; Your eyes transfixed forward as you go.

Eventually, the rivers begin to catch a green fire as swirls of acid yellow begin to flow within it, the contrast in color hitting your subconscious like a truck. 

Then you _do remember._

Instead of resisting the pull that forced you onward, you attempt to pick up the pace. But the very attempt thrusts you instantly at the end of the path with a jolt where the feathered Dave is once again in a heap by your feet in a clearing, struggling to breathe through bubbling blood, pinned down by his remaining wing, the other thrown to the side.

You repeat the same movements as you did before on automatic; wrenching out your own sword pinning him down, dragging him into your arms, your clean pants and shirt, (which you didn't notice were spotless before your trek), regaining the familiar stains.

****

And just like before, He forces a smile for you,

****

Only for it to contort into devastation and pain-

  
  


****

-to mirror yours.

But this time, _you hear_ **_it_ ** _._

**_The_** **_laughter_** _, coming from behind you._

your hand shoots up to your chest, landing on the pendant this Dave forced on you there. ( _But he hasn't done that yet-_ ) Soon after, you're being dragged up to stand, causing Dave's body to roll off your lap like a ragdoll, causing him to let out a wet cough after a sickening splatter _._

_This didn't happen before. What is this._ **_What is this-_ **

You are finding yourself struggling for control as whatever is dragging you coils around your neck from the _inside_.

_Strings. It's the strings-_ **_the Last Cord-_ **

You continue to be wrenched from behind and dragged down towards the river, _(Where you saw_ **_it_ ** _sink-_ ) The last thing you see is the feathered Dave turn to you with clouded white eyes before you're dragged under, plunging you into inky darkness.

You wrestle against the pull of your binds, only to find they have snagged themselves around your wrists and chest.

_You're struggling to hold your breath. Slamming your eyes shut does nothing as you see those familiar ice blue eyes flicker red, cycle through a collection of colors (_ **_what the hell is this!?_ ** _) in the trench of your soul and_ **_feel Fear_ ** _threatening to crawl out of your throat to drown your screaming into silence with black slick-_

_Do not feel._ **_Do not feel._ ** **_Do Not Feel or else it'll-_ **]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Your eyes fly open and your body follows, shooting upright in an attempt to break through the iridescent surface of oil to take a desperate intake of air.

But you find that was all unnecessary. You are not drowning in a dark river of toxic sludge anymore and your greeting back to reality is a blast of white light assaulting you the moment your eyes opened, quickly making you slam them back shut. The panic that was choking your barely conscious mind was far from being settled however as you are once again, in an unfamiliar place without any memory of how you got here.

The drilling that was assaulting your eardrums before passing out has toned down to a hum ( _but still there and threatening to rise_ ) and your vision is… clearer than you're used to. Your slightly shaking hand makes its way to your face, Maneuvering it as you always do to get under your shades to rub your eyes, but you find that unnecessary as they currently aren't on you. Your gloves are also missing. Aside from not knowing where you are, waking up and finding things on your person messed with and missing while not remembering jack shit isn't helping. speaking of, where exactly _are_ you?

your other hand holding you up is currently sinking into something soft. 

You slide your hand down from your eyes to take in your surroundings. _(you pointedly ignore the wetness left on your fingertips.)_ squinting past your eyelashes, you find yourself in a barren room with metal floors and walls. you are also not on a bed but a couch, indicated by the backrest that it had to your right. 

You turn your head fully to the left and your nerves spike for a second when you find-

Dave, who was seated in an armchair on the other side of a low table that sat between the two of you. 

He's just staring at you, observing you silently with raised brows, half-sitting in his seat looking like he was about ready to bolt. ( _Your violent manner of awakening must have startled the fuck out of him._ ) The fact you didn't sense him in the slightest, (despite Dave's scrambled emotions slowly reaching your senses _now_ ) confirms how fucked up you currently are. Your hand goes to your chest and, especially without your gloves, you instantly feel you aren't in the same shirt you blacked out in. _(Shit Just doesn't end, does it?)_

**__ **

You look down and find a thick, oversized coffee colored sweater in place of your stained polo. _(You also feel the pendant underneath. Finding it still on your person strangely manages to calm you somewhat. You can see how it could after that fucked up shit your brain decided to play in your unconscious state-)_

"Kanaya told me to stuff you in that. You were… shaking. A lot. and you were… cold? massive blood loss is a bitch like that i guess. Far from your usual style, but well, gotta make do with what we got now." Dave explains as you look back at him.

You… Really are unreasonably _cold_. You can feel a subtle shiver rolling over you, your fingers like ice when you touched your face. You suspect this isn't just a side effect of blood loss, but you keep that to yourself.

"Ah." is what you respond with, the sound coming out as more of a clipped wheeze before any slight noise came along with it. You cough in an attempt to clear your throat, but you.. keep coughing. You try to hold it off but you can't manage it-

"Fuck- wait- sorry. Hold on-" Dave mumbled out as he scrambles off his chair, flying out of the room. _flying. You guess he can do that now?_ Your vague knowledge of the game manages to remind you that this was an indication Dave had reached an important point in the game that he was meant to reach.You also saw _John_ fly, so there was that. You are too tired to start questioning shit while attempting to _not_ cough your lungs out.

He returns shortly with a cup of water in his hand which he quickly thrust at you. You take it and he makes his way back on the armchair. You take care not to spill the water everywhere as you try to school your cough long enough to take any of the it down. somehow you manage it.

Once you feel you've had enough, you look back to catch Dave fidgeting. 

But he immediately stops when he sees you watching. You...

( _You smack the dull side of your blade against too small hands at full force. A curse and a cringe comes out of him. He looks up at you though his shades, eye's obscured, but most likely holding back tears."Don't do that." you say in your usual cold monotone. You walk a few feet away from him,forcing yourself still so he has a chance to ready himself before-)_

Your hand goes to your right ear as the buzzing in there threatens to rise into a painful ringing. 

"Bro." You look over and again, he straightens on reflex.

"I don't know if you noticed, but you just played out the definition of a thousand yard stare for half a minute and then went to crushing down on your ears again. You'd better not be bleeding again because the other day that shit just wouldn't fucking- just, If it weren't for that random fish troll-" He stops there. 

_'The other day'_ …. You swallow a few times.

"H'w long w's I out." You try asking, barely controlling the breaks. _(Did it get worse?)_ He answers immediately with "3 days, 17 hours, 18 minutes- uh yeah." without missing a beat. You nod once. it did feel as if your little stroll through Dreaming Hell took a few days. Looks like it was more accurate in simulating time than you thought. (It dawns on you that you can't say you never dream anymore. You can't say you'd want to ever again.)

You take your hand from your ear and it comes away clean. but you freeze as your stare becomes involuntarily transfixed again. Without your gloves, you get the full view of multiple, tiny puncture wounds littered across your palm and fingers, the concentration of them on the side of your thumb and index finger glaring up at you like angry red eyes. 

_(You had destroyed the fucking thing. Slicing it to bits like it was nothing. But that didn't matter. Later on you'd find yourself trying your damnedest to stop yourself from sewing_ **_It_ ** _back up, your hand coated in smeared pinpricks of blood, causing the needle between your fingers to slip into you even worse-)_

"''M Fine." You grind out as you throw your legs off the couch. Dave jumps up, (you try to ignore the flinch, but _fuck_ is that impossible-) making a move towards you, but hesitates mid-way.

"Wait Don't- I mean- uh. Go slow?" The puree of emotions coming off Dave is disorienting enough to want to tell him to stop. _Fear with concern, frustration with relief-_ But you know that'd be a stupid thing to demand for _. (Did he always feel like this? Why can you even feel these things_ **_now_ ** _?)_ Dave continues,

"Like, you _Literally_ did it again, Bro. Stony, creepy as fuck? straight up war flashbacks. You know what, just- stay there and I'll- I'll get Rose. She knows More than- Just wait." Dave again scrambles off the chair but this time he runs off on his feet, staying grounded.

"Hey." Dave stops with his grip on the door handle. He turns slightly back to you.

"Bro?"

It takes a few seconds, But-

"T's Good... to see you." you say. _Alive,_ you don't.

He goes stock-still and gapes at you with his lips parted, feelings of Dumbstruck, confusion, and a hint of… contentment? you aren't sure- ramming into you with a sudden force, but then, just as sudden-

"Oh. Yeah. I- yeah." is his reply, recovering from his bout of stillness. 

_Good to see you too,_ He doesn't say. 

_(You weren't expecting such a reply in the first place. Honestly, such a reply would disturb you more than anything_.)

You have nothing else to say after that, and soon, he's gone.

You could have easily told him that getting another 13 year old to come 'help' you would be useless in an attempt to keep him there, but you have a suspicion he wanted an excuse to get away from you.

( _You'd rather not take that away from him_.)

So, You wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who skipped out on the other two parts of the series, have a nice, even more twisted version of "Feathered Down and Untethered."
> 
> Have a bonus, ANIMATED GIF of poor Davesprite cuz I just Roll like that: https://the-ironic-monster.tumblr.com/post/633816365737918464/is-that-chapter-7-of-quell-the-dave-toll-i-smell#notes
> 
> Only reason Jadesprite got such a cool drawing is because it was a Cascade-esque chapter.
> 
> Davesprite deserves one too.
> 
> RINP, Davesprite. (That mean Rest In Near Pieces FYI)
> 
> I REACHED OVER 10,000 WORDS. hurrah i guess! XD

**Author's Note:**

> 20/9/2020: taking at least a month break here! got stuff (aka other art stuffs! ) to finish up, then we will be back at it!


End file.
